Seeing Through You

Public relations has been equated to such obscuring terms as putting a spin on things, creating a smokescreen, handling or controlling the message, or messenger, or simply providing a subjective vs. objective view of what's being presented.

Consider, instead, transparency.

Be as open, honest, forthright and upfront as possible.

Leave nothing out and don't be afraid to admit what you don't know. Never knowingly dodge, duck, omit, mislead or misrepresent the facts.

Try to build believability and credibility rather than weave a tangled web of half truths, misleading statements or downright deceptions.

Exercise authority and responsibility. Be receptive and responsive. Follow up and follow through.

Treat inquiring journalists like invited guests – welcome them, offer assistance, be hospitable and thank them for contacting you and offering you a chance to tell your side. At least, treat them with respect.

The Dichotomy of Doing Business

You are hired by a client who has reviewed your work, outlined their goals and expectations and agreed to a contract. They like what you do, how you do it and the results you generate.

The work begins but soon there is what I consider the most difficult part of client relationships.

You seem to be on working on a mutually agreeable agenda but then, instead of parallel paths, you seem to be moving in different directions.

You turn in work for final approval that is based on your best judgement, years of experience and professional acumen.

Unexpectedly, you find your work being scrutinized, questioned and even challenged, but not for content or accuracy. It's too long, too short, too wordy, not descriptive enough and then each comma, capital letter and quote mark starts being moved around.

You must draw a line with the client to clearly establish consistency and credibility.

Too often I find clients looking at news releases through their eyes, trying to make them more self-serving and, at times, even inappropriate.

Communication requires sending as well as receiving. If the sender isn't clearly communicating, the receiver may not be - well - receptive.

Too many messages, information that is superfluous to the main message and downright distracting exclamation points that are not necessary will only weaken the efforts to be effective communicators.

Sometimes trust is more important that debating whether or not to capitalize a single letter.

Allow the people you hire to do what they do best on your behalf. Consensus is good, communication is good. Are you exercising good judgement or just exerting control?

Note to residents of Planet Earth:

Less harm. More help.

Signed,

The Ultimate Host Site

Planet Earth

Throughout our daily lives we casually toss out used coffee containers, plastic bags, newspapers and magazines - only to force the production of more while pushing capacity for the discards to the limits.

Take a minute or two to evaluate the impact of these actions.

Costs of Doing Business

Prospective clients seem eager to create awareness and interest in their business but too easily discount the value of an effective public relations campaign or advertising effort.

These are two key ways to generate some reaction or response and get people motivated to learn more or even find out firsthand what you are doing, offering or providing.

But to truly close the sale and generate the ultimate return on your investment, you must offer something they need, want, have to have or will soon realize that they need, want or have to have and you need to create a positive buying experience that will encourage them to return and help spread the word.

Press releases and ads (online, in print or on air) are valuable components of a successful sales campaign but the true measure of success relies on the customer's willingness to part with hard earned cash to keep your business in business as well as their willingness to be "ambassadors" who tell others about you.

Anyone who promises results from a press release or any other form of communication is, in my opinion, either a liar or a gambler. But they can help build a successful business. Be a partner with those who are representing you and there is greate likelihood of success for all involved.

Feeling Blue About Being Green

Saturday's Urban Tour of Homes throughout downtown Tampa and the Channel District revealed an interesting range of places for people to live who want to call the downtown corridor home.

While touring living spaces sprinkled among new skyscrapers to street side lofts, a couple of thoughts came to mind as I considered the full impact of every space being occupied and what that means to traffic, trash pick up and more. Wasn't this a perfect opportunity to encourage more people to travel on the city's mass transit system? A multi-passenger shuttle swinging by a designated pick up spot near One Laurel Place, The Residences, Element and Skypoint could have dropped passengers at the downtown trolley stop for a quick trip to the Channel District where Grand Central, Ventana, Victory Lofts and the Meridian were easy to reach and then re-board to continue on to Ybor City for a look at Box Factory Lofts.

Instead what seemed to be crowds of people who dropped in to these developments were forced to park-drive-park-drive throughout the day, trying to navigate what for many were new routes and unfamiliar intersections while locating their desired destinations.

Traipsing through even air conditioned buildings during a typical hot summer day in Florida took a toll. Most units I visited offered chilled water and soft drinks in bottles and cans - but not a single highly visiable collection point for recyclable materials. What a shame all of those containers were not collected and recycled. Hopefully there are areas where newspapers, glass, plastic, cardboard and cans can be thoughtfully discarded for collection by recycling services.

Some residents already call some of the newer buildings home, as evidenced by a few who patiently shared the elevators with those participating in the tour. Plastic bags from local supermarkets were being carried by the armful. What if a washable, re-usable, durable bag with the logo of each building was provided to residents (with extras conveniently stored near a main entrance) that would encourage residents to re-use these bags to carry purchases and eliminate any need for plastic and paper bags profered by retailers. Preferably a strong tote or backpack could be designed (maybe from recycled materials) that would not be transparent enough to reveal what personal hygiene items each tenant prefers.

I also wondered whether these new stacked neighborhoods would create communal efforts to enhance the environment and collectively work to conserve resources. Community gardens, compost centers, carpooling programs are a few that quickly come to mind. With a little thought and enough effort, a few projects could be implemented that would add appeal to these urban living centers and create a more positive impact on our planet.

Welcome to Mary Lou's blog!

This is a new blog that will be periodically updated with info, ideas, rants and raves.

Check back, shout out and enjoy!